“Wait.” Roderick said but wondered how he could break the walls.
“Anyone has got a hammer?” he asked the crowd, which didn’t listen to him anyway.
Roderick swung his arm and hit the wall with a punch. His knuckles felt a crack. It wasn’t his bone cracking, but it was the nose of the person confined within. He made another punch. This time the wall broke down.
Condemned man came by clutching his nose.
“Sorry for breaking your nose. Can you tell me who chops someone’s head here?” Roderick asked.
“This is a village where everyone is an executioner.” He said and ran for his life.
Roderick was confused. But Headless was alert and was stomping on ground. A wall fell in front of him. Then another fell behind their back. Walls also descended from both sides and the final wall made the roof. Now they were confined.
Roderick punched the wall but the walls were not fragile. They were strong enough to hurt Roderick’s knuckles.
“Help me! Take me out from here.” Roderick yelled like a child in the darkness.
The darkness within made him claustrophobic. Darkness reminded him of the time when he had met the wizard.
“Give me some advice.” Roderick snapped at Headless. Headless was giving signs but he could not see it in pitch darkness. There was nothing left for him other than to wait for something to happen.
Roderick stayed there for over two hours, anxiously.
Someone shattered the wall in front of them with a hammer. The light, even of noon, dazzled him. Headless didn’t respond to the light. With some more swings of hammer, the masked man took down the wall and pulled him out of there.
There Roderick saw more masked men. One of them was holding the head of the person he had just freed.
“Freeing a condemned to die is a crime punishable only by death.” Executioner said.
“Are you the one who decapitated my friend?” Roderick pointed at the headless body.
Everyone gasped in scare as he came out in the light. Women started to run while the executioners stood their ground with trembling feet.
“He is a wizard. Burn him alive!” a bunch of people roared from their windows. Those on ground cheered in agreement.
“Burn them! Burn them! Burn them!” chants became louder and louder each passing second.
“Make the stake ready.” Executioner screamed to the public after yanking down both of them on ground. Executioners tied their hand and feet. Then there came a group of people carrying stakes. They hoisted them on stakes like they were carrying a donkey on a stick.
As they were being taken to the burning site, they saw men and children rush with haystacks and dry woods. Roderick realized the burning area wasn’t really far away when they put those haystacks and wood pieces near a hole meant for holding the stake. There was another person on a stake about to be burnt.
“No! No!” Roderick yelled as he was put upright on the stake. Even Headless looked terrified. Executioners brought wet ropes for fastening them.
“This wet rope will hold you, wizard.” Executioner laughed at him, “But first, watch this thief burn.” He showed him the thief who was fastened on the third stake.
